Just because the Newcastle United midfielder does not come from one of the
Premier League's “celebrity” clubs, does not mean he lacks the necessary
quality

The reaction to Jack Colback’s England call up ranged from the indignant to the bemused as fans and pundits suggested the Newcastle United midfielder should have been nowhere near the group.

There were even some who argued Roy Hodgson’s decision to pick the former Sunderland man marked a new low in the standards of the national team.

To those who somehow believe Colback’s selection is an insult, it is worth pointing out the 24-year-old has played far more Premier League games than many of those thrust on to the international stage before him.

Just because Colback did not come through the Academy of Manchester United, City, Liverpool, Chelsea ,Tottenham or even Southampton does not mean he does not have talent.

Just because he does not play for one of the “celebrity” clubs and has not been praised to the hilt on Match of the Day or Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football does not mean he does not have the quality needed to play for his country.

In fact, those who have mocked Hodgson’s decision are probably the sort of ignorant armchair fans who decided Owen Hargreaves wasn’t good enough to play for England before the 2006 World Cup, even though he was a regular in the Bayern Munich side that had won the European Cup a few years earlier.

At a time when there are so few domestic players starting regularly in the top flight, why is the selection of a player who has made 167 league appearances since emerging from Sunderland’s Academy four years ago such a shocking selection choice?

Hodgson is doing what he must. He is taking a closer look at a player who has blossomed since he was given a regular run in his preferred role central midfield role by Sunderland manager Gus Poyet last season.

Until then, under both Martin O’Neill and Paolo Di Canio, Colback had been just as likely to play at left-back as he was in the middle of the pitch, but Poyet recognised his best position and did not fall into the same trap of making use of his versatility.

Colback is a tidy footballer who rarely gives the ball away. He is an excellent link between defence and attack and has the sort of athletic ability every midfielder needs press and harangue the opposition.

He is not a flash footballer and he has not courted media attention, but he does have a useful range of passing and is a willing learner. He does not score enough goals and he has only recently found the strength to go with his technical skill, but he deserves to show what he can do for England. He does not deserve to be written off before he has even picked up his first cap.

At the age of 24, Colback has served his apprenticeship at Sunderland and – although some may disagree with this statement – I believe he was a far better player for the Black Cats than Jordan Henderson was before he earned his £16m move to Liverpool two years ago.

So far this season – and it may well be early days – he has been Newcastle’s best midfielder following his summer move and was their man of the match in the opening weekend defeat to champions Manchester City.

Hodgson has liked what he has seen and with both Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard retiring since the World Cup, he is auditioning potential replacements.

That is what Colback’s call up is – an audition. Being referred to as the "Ginger Pirlo" does not do him any favours given the expectations it brings and Hodgson may well regret the jokey reference he made to this when announcing his latest England squad, but Colback should be given the opportunity to impress.

He may fall short, he may fail his audition, he may well have been out-played by another midfielder playing in the North East, Sunderland’s Lee Cattermole, during these early season exchanges, but don’t mock Colback’s call up just because you were not aware of how well he has been performing in this calendar year.

Let Hodgson and his coaching staff take a look at him in training, let them see how does against international opponents and then we can all judge whether he is good enough for England or not.